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Beckman & Greenburg: Thank you to Scottsdale Unified School District voters

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We couldn’t help but become emotional when we read the final election results.

SUSD voters proudly stood up for our district, providing our students a landslide victory by maintaining the maintenance and operations override for another five years. Over 30% of registered voters mailed in their ballot --- among our east Valley peer school districts, no other district came close in getting out the vote.

Sixty-two percent of SUSD voters said “Yes.” We think that is a record margin of victory for SUSD and we want to thank every one of the 30,123 voters who helped us accomplish this remarkable achievement. We cannot thank you enough for saving our district from potential cost-cutting measures that have plagued SUSD in the past and would have undermined our mission of providing a top-tier education to every one of our 23,000 students.

A big thank you is also owed to the Yes to Children campaign leaders.
Melinda Gulick and Denny Brown stepped up to fill the shoes of legacy leaders Karen Treon and Cindy Bitcon who showed us how to run successful elections over the last decade.

The sacrifice and commitment of our campaign leaders and the steering committee members who volunteered inspired us all.

Without the donations from our community, Yes to Children could not have succeeded. The Charros Foundation led the way as they always do. Our PTOs and PTAs raised even more funds than ever, and legacy donors remained loyal to SUSD --- something for which we are extremely grateful.

Within the Charros a few individuals stood out for their extra effort. We cannot thank Gary Shapiro, Dennis Robbins, John Little, and Mr. Casalena enough for their decades of unwavering support of SUSD.

Each of these community leaders endorsed the maintenance and operations override and took the time to publish columns explaining their support.

Past, current, and potential future elected leaders of Scottsdale also volunteered their support for this election.

Virginia Korte’s never ending support for SUSD continued. Former board members Bonnie Sneed and George Jackson gave countless hours. City Council members Solange Whitehead, Suzanne Klapp, and Linda Milhaven each endorsed the override and each wrote columns supporting SUSD in this election.

Community leaders and activists Andrea Alley, Sasha Weller, the Fire Fighters Association, John Little, Christian Serena, Jason Alexander, Tammy Caputi, Christine Marsh, Eric Kurland, Seth Blattman, and Becca Linnig also stood up for SUSD. Thank you.

Great thanks are also owed to each of the co-chairs of the city bond campaign PAC. It was heartwarming to read your editorials backing SUSD. Thank you, Paula, Dana, and Mike.

The bond and override elections really did go together hand-in-hand in bettering our great city and its future. This was made obvious through the incredible articles written by soccer families (a big thank you to the Struckmans), swimmers, and divers from all of our schools (especially great in light of Chaparral and Saguaro holding new state championship trophies and the chaparral women’s team being named national champions).

Parents of charter students and voters with no students at home --- we know you voted for SUSD, too. We are all in this together and thank you for voting “Yes” for the benefit of the entire community.

Finishing this tribute to a great team effort is a special thanks to and recognition of the Scottsdale Education Association. Time and again, your membership have proven its powerful commitment to SUSD’s success. You answered the call. You showed up to support SUSD when we needed you.

Julie Cieniawski and Kris Ambri, past and current presidents of SEA, you are part of what is great about SUSD.

We have much to do now that the override has passed. Re-establishing and maintaining full faith and confidence in SUSD’s leadership requires more work.

Selecting a new superintendent to replace Dr. Kriekard, who has generously given us two years of his retirement to help save and stabilize this District, is our top priority.

Editor’s Note: Patty Beckman and Jann-Michael Greenburg are members of the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board, and Ms. Beckman serves as the board’s president.